The nuna of Naboo were not the luckiest of creatures. If they weren't being kicked
around in the name of sport, or flicked off balconies by bored Hutts, they would
often find themselves as the main course in Gungan holiday feasts.
Nuna were strange, bird-like reptiles with large, round bodies supp-
orted by two strong legs. Though its wings were virtually non-existant, it
gained the unflattering monicker of 'swamp turkey'. Its head bobbed up and
down when it walked, giving it an ungainly look. If confronted
by a predator, nuna would turn tail and flee, though if
cornered, a nuna would use its beak and strong legs to
fend off an attack. Male nuna often showed aggression
by inflating the wattles around their necks and hissing
at threats. The females only gave birth to one egg,
though it was large enough to contain up to ten young. As the egg was so big, the mother had to help her babies escape its thick shell.
When the babies grew older, they would probably face a difficult life. Nuna meat was considered tasty to Gungans, and was thus used as part of their holiday feasts. However, it proved to be poisonous to other species such as Twi'leks or Rodians. If it couldn't be eaten, a nuna was often caught and used as part of a cruel sport called Nuna-ball. The nuna itself would be the ball, and would be kicked around the pitch by uncaring droid players, or even Gungans on Naboo.
There was also a sub-species of nuna called the dwarf nuna. These tiny creatures were too small to 'participate' in Nuna-ball games, but they were still used as food. Jabba the Hutt often snacked on dwarf nuna while watching podraces in the Mos Espa Arena, though Jabba often grew bored, and resorted to flicking the creatures off his balcony. |
